The idea, inspired by Gandhian principles, is for delegates to take surplus items, such as books, to a conference, especially one in a developing country, sell off the books very cheaply to delegates, and give the money raised to a local charity.
I tried this out in two conferences I attended in March / April 2013 in Calcutta and Bangalore, and it worked like a dream. We raised around £500.
We achieved a 'triple whammy' -- my colleagues and I got rid
of books we no longer needed, professionals in India got books they valued and at a bargain price, and a local Indian charity benefited from the book sales. Conference delegates thought it was a great idea and enthused about it. We embodied all three of Gandhi's principles in one go -- we promoted Truth via the books, we promoted Love (giving books away cheaply, donating proceeds to charity), and it was a form of Self-Sacrifice in donating books that belonged to us.
Conferences are an ideal setting where such 'experiments in compassion' can take place. Senior delegates will often have spare books, and junior delegates (especially in developing countries) may well need them and are happy to pay a knock-down price. The concept need not be limited to books -- medical equipment, computer hardware/software, tests, etc could similarly be brought along by delegates to conferences and sold off there. I ask UCL staff to suggest this experiment to the organizers of the next conference they or their friends attend.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)